2026 is not a year for facades. It’s not a year for the old pose of control, slickly presented security and neatly designed slides, behind which inner neglect has long been at work. Anyone running a company today is no longer navigating a predictable market. They lead through excessive demands, loss of confidence, exhaustion, the disintegration of certainties and a nervousness that has long been present in every meeting. The figures may still look good, but the people often no longer do. Insolvencies are on the rise, industries are slipping, certainties are dissolving. What looked like a stable strategy yesterday often seems like a reflex from a world that no longer exists. At the same time, everyone is talking about transformation, cultural change, new leadership, mindset, AI and so on. Lots of language, lots of packaging – everything as usual. Or is it? But the real question is being avoided: Who is the man at the top when things get tight? Who is the CEO when the old no longer holds up and the new has yet to take root? That’s what 2026 is about, not about leadership as a method or about further communication tools. Nor is it about the next charter for value-oriented collaboration. It’s about the ability to hold space. This is not a soft addition – this is the core. And above all: it is the CEO’s job first and foremost. Not the second tier, not individual managers who work cleanly under him. Nor is it the job of HR or the culture team. The CEO sets the frequency. He defines the temperature and determines whether a company splinters or gathers in a crisis. In multiple crises, there is no need for a man at the top who speaks the fastest. Nor do you need a CEO who camouflages his inner turmoil with activity. It needs a CEO who can withstand tension without reflexively wanting to resolve it. A CEO who does not paste over uncertainty with phrases. A CEO who stands still when others are inwardly tilting. Presence here is not volume. Presence is inner order under pressure. Many men in leadership roles have never learned exactly that. They are technically strong, analytically sharp, capable of making decisions and resilient in the traditional sense. They can read systems, interpret figures, negotiate deals and also absorb pressure. But as soon as a room becomes emotionally confusing, their real weakness comes to the fore. Then the solution comes too soon. They are quick to rationalize where truth is needed. Then people react quickly because something is triggered inside. And that is precisely the point: the crisis is not just about competence. It asks for maturity, integrity and a healthy nervous system. It asks about awareness. It asks whether a CEO can lead himself before he wants to lead a company.
This is where the truth begins, which is still being fended off in many organizations: Change does not happen by email. Transformation cannot be delegated, nor can it be implemented as a new structure in campaigns. Emotional maturity is not a luxury for good times. It is the prerequisite for leadership in bad times. Especially for the CEO. Because if the CEO is internally unclear, the entire company becomes a resonance chamber for his lack of clarity. Then all programs come to nothing. Culture becomes an empty backdrop.
“Holding the space” sounds vague to some, but it is not. On the contrary, it is brutally concrete. It means not immediately turning into fight, flight or freeze in tense situations. It means not automatically reading resistance as an attack. It’s about enduring ambivalence without frantically pushing for clarity. Not just managing content in meetings, but sensing what is really happening in the room. Who is withdrawing? Who remains silent even though they see something? Where is consent being played because no one believes it is safe to speak openly anymore?
A CEO who can hold the space notices this. Above all, he notices what it triggers in himself. This is where the dividing line runs. Many managers do not react to the situation, but to their own activation. They feel challenged, don’t realize it and then call the defense leadership strength. They become tough because they are afraid. They become cool and distant because they are overwhelmed. They become dominant because they lack inner stability. This often appears confident to the outside world for a while, until the culture changes, the good people fall silent and there is no more real feedback. Until everyone realizes that there may be a CEO at the top, but no one is really there.
The crises of these years are not just economic. They are psychological, social and spiritual. Materially, the pressure manifests itself in liquidity bottlenecks, restructuring, falling margins, volatility and disrupted supply chains. Mentally, it manifests itself as a loss of direction. Teams are working, but often no longer know what for. In this context, spirituality is not a decoration, but the question of meaning, dignity, depth and inner anchoring. Consciousness becomes relevant because pure functioning is no longer sustainable. A company is not a machine room. It is a field of power, fear, loyalty, hope, history and meaning. If you don’t see this, you are missing reality. And if the CEO doesn’t see it, no one will see it in the end. Men who have become successful in traditional performance systems have perfected a certain form of self-organization: Discipline, focus, perseverance, results orientation – that’s valuable, but it’s no longer enough. In 2026, it’s not just about delivering under pressure. It’s about not losing touch under pressure. Not with yourself, not with reality and certainly not with the people who run the company. Many men have never been trained to take their inner world seriously. They have learned to function, to pull themselves together and to keep going. Feelings were seen as a disorder. Vulnerability was seen as an incalculable risk. And loneliness was numbed with work, status, speed and perhaps cynicism. This creates an inner emptiness that goes unnoticed for a long time in everyday life, but it comes to the fore in crises. Those who cannot contain their own insecurity will also not be able to contain the insecurity of others. They will control, shame, accelerate or translate the whole thing into PowerPoint.
That’s why real change starts at the top. Certainly not for ideological reasons, but for system logic. The CEO is not just another manager with a bigger office. The CEO is the center of the field. Waves emanate from there, fear is amplified or calmed from there. From this center, truth is made possible or impossible. Individual managers below the CEO can achieve a lot, but they cannot correct the basic vibration of a company against the CEO in the long term. If the CEO is defensive, the system becomes political. If the CEO is hectic, the system becomes hectic. If the CEO is narcissistic, the system becomes dishonest. And when the CEO is present, clarity becomes possible. That means “center of the field”.
This is why so many transformation programs fail. External consultants are hired, mission statements are formulated, value processes are set up, workshops are held and campaigns are launched. A lot of effort on the outside, often clean language, sometimes even honest intentions. But if the CEO is unable to listen at the crucial moment, if he experiences criticism as an insult or only tolerates conflict and does not allow his self-image to be jeopardized, everything is ultimately just a facade and not sustainable. Then transformation is an expensive spectacle and culture is degraded to a pretty marketing text without power. Transformation is therefore not a question of design, it is a question of truth. How much truth can a CEO take? How much reality can he see without immediately tipping over into self-preservation? How close can he get to his fear, his shame, his loneliness and his addiction to control? This is no longer a private matter as soon as a person is at the top of a company. This is where inner life becomes effective and the unconscious becomes expensive.
The material level must not be romanticized. Holding space does not mean getting lost in vague consciousness-speak. Of course, it also means keeping the concrete clean: Numbers, priorities, responsibility, timing and decisions. Anyone who talks about energy and does not understand cash flow is not holding space. They take refuge in words. Good leadership in 2026 combines both – that is essential. A strong CEO knows the balance sheet and his nervous system. He understands markets and human defenses. He knows that restructuring may be necessary, but he also knows that the way he manages it determines whether he is dignified or cynical. Matter without consciousness is brutal. Consciousness without material consequence is worthless. A mature CEO can make tough decisions without becoming inwardly brutal. He can set boundaries without devaluing people. He can also speak plainly without humiliating. They can cut costs without turning people into material in terms of language. They can demand speed without poisoning the room. This is exactly the kind of leadership that is fit for the future – and it starts with his inner work.
The spiritual aspect is also often suppressed in crises. Spirit here does not mean intelligence, but orientation. The ability to recognize patterns, see meaningful connections and act from a broader perspective. A mentally clear CEO is not permanently driven. He is not hooked on every new urgency like an addict on the next stimulus. He understands that crises often only expose what was rotten long before. Many companies do not fail because of an external blow. They fail because of an inner exhaustion that nobody wanted to name. Spiritual leadership means penetrating the surface and getting to the core. This requires silence. And that is precisely what many CEOs lack. They live in a permanent chain of stimuli consisting of calls, figures, pressure, expectations, travel, investors, market movements and private exhaustion. In this concentration, people lose their inner hearing. They only listen to urgency. But urgency is a miserable advisor. Those who never become quiet hear neither intuition nor self-deception. They remain stuck on the surface of reacting and then mistake this for professionalism. Inner work is therefore not a wellness program for managers. It is hygiene in power. A CEO must know what drives him. He must know his patterns, recognize when he is closing down, when he is attacking, when he is evading and when he is just defending his image. He must be able to distinguish between a clear decision and a triggered reaction. He must be able to remain there when shame arises, when there is a threat of loss of control, when an employee says something that affects him. This is where authority comes into play. Everything else is and remains a role.
The spiritual dimension also belongs here, whether some people like it or not. In this context, spirituality does not mean escape or pious decoration. It means reconnection: to truth, to conscience and to dignity. To something that is greater than one’s own ego and pure sales figures. A spiritually awake CEO understands that power is service or at some point becomes abuse. He knows that decisions not only produce results, but reality. He shapes a moral climate and he knows that a climate of fear may work in the short term, but in the long term it destroys everything that makes a company alive: courage, trust, creativity and loyalty.
Consciousness is the level at which all of this becomes visible. Without consciousness, people live in their automatisms and call this “personality”. With consciousness, freedom of choice arises. Then an impulse does not have to become an action immediately. A space is created between stimulus and reaction and this is precisely where leadership sits. This is where it is decided whether a CEO simply deflects criticism or takes it on board. Whether he sends panic into the system or stability. Whether he simply personalizes a conflict or really understands it. Teams very quickly sense whether the CEO has ever really met himself. Not perfectly, but honestly. Is he looking – yes or no? They can sense whether he is just talking about culture or whether he is letting himself be hit by reality. You can sense whether he reflects on his power and whether he can admit mistakes. Can they learn to truly listen or are they just waiting for their next self-presentation? You can sense whether there is a human being sitting there or a suit of armor. And companies pay a high price when there is only armor at the top. Many men have perfected this armor over the years. Success has reinforced it and the economy has rewarded them for it. Toughness, speed, goal orientation, unassailability – these were the drivers of success at the top. Now this very armor is becoming a problem. Because it not only protects against pain, it also blocks truth, relationship and resonance. And without these things, there is no sustainable leadership in times of crisis. Then there is only steering, control, empty messages and exhausting slogans. It may be that this will last for a quarter, but probably no more.
Holding space therefore also means enabling relationships without dissolving into them. Leadership needs contour. A CEO is neither a therapist nor a spiritual entertainer. He does not – thank God – have to moderate every feeling in the company. But he must create a climate in which reality can be expressed. In which tension is not immediately punished and people do not have to constantly scan the CEO’s emotional weather conditions before they open their mouths. In many companies, this is exactly what happens every day. Teams don’t just work on the problem. They work past the CEO’s nervous system. This burns energy, every day.
How does the ability to hold space manifest itself?
- Holding space shows itself in language. A mature CEO speaks clearly. He does not obfuscate, does not threaten subliminally and does not embellish harshness with euphemisms. He can say: The situation is serious. We don’t know everything yet. It’s going to be tough. And at the same time: We remain capable of acting. We are acting on the basis of reality, not out of panic. That is leadership language. It is sober, sustainable and doesn’t need a show.
- Holding space is also reflected in the body. Breathing, gaze, voice, posture, pace – all of these are involved. A rushed CEO creates tightness. A CEO who is on the move destabilizes. A voice that only transmits pressure makes people small or aggressive. The body always reveals what words are supposed to conceal. That is why it is not a side issue whether a CEO has access to his body. It is part of his leadership ability.
- Holding space also manifests itself in conflict. Immature leadership wants victory or peace. Mature leadership wants truth. A strong CEO endures contradictions without immediately taking sides out of resentment. They don’t reflexively look for someone to blame when the system breaks down. He takes a closer look. What is really going on here? What fear is at work? What loyalty is blocking clarity? What truth has not been allowed to be told here for months? Anyone who avoids these questions and reduces everything to numbers is just doing cosmetics.
- Holding space is shown in the ability to endure emptiness. This is the hardest point for many men. Silence is not a space for them, but a threat. So it is filled: with opinion, with action, with stimulation or control. Behind this often lies restlessness, loneliness, sadness or even a loss of meaning. None of this had any place in the old image of leadership, so people carried on. If you don’t know your own emptiness, you clutter up every room. A mature CEO does not have to fill every moment. They can wait, leave a question unanswered. He can endure the fact that nothing is finished yet. And only then can something real emerge from within.
This is not a romanticization of slowness. Crises often demand quick action. But fast action also needs an inner place, otherwise speed is just a symptom. Then decisions are made frantically to avoid feeling powerless. This is exactly how many wrong decisions are made: not out of stupidity, but out of a lack of self-awareness.
2026 therefore demands a different kind of masculinity from men when it comes to leadership. Not a soft-spoken one, but not an armored one either. We need masculinity with backbone and awareness. Strength without toughness and presence without dominance. Responsibility without a fantasy of omnipotence. A CEO of this type can make decisions, protect, set boundaries and take risks. But he doesn’t have to puff himself up or play up his insecurity. He is not dependent on admiration. On the contrary, he can say: “I have a blind spot. That was my mistake. We need to take a fresh look.” Such sentences do not weaken a CEO, they legitimize him.
This is the real threshold in many companies. As long as there is a CEO at the top who needs to know everything, wants to control everything and experiences every irritation as an attack on his self-image, every crisis will be deeper than necessary. Energy is then burnt up in political games, loyalty rituals, cosmetic language and silent fear management. Companies rarely just lose money. They lose truth and where truth disappears, leadership becomes impossible. This perspective is not an attack on CEOs. It is an invitation to radical introspection. Because many CEOs are also exhausted. Many carry burdens that they don’t show to anyone. Many inhabit roles that they have long since hollowed out internally. Many have worked for years and now realize that success does not heal inner impoverishment. The invitation is therefore not: become more sensitive. It is: become true. Otherwise you will become a problem at the top of your company that no one is allowed to name openly.
Truth begins simply: you are triggered. You are afraid of losing control. You distance yourself when things get close. You get tough when you feel threatened. You confuse speed with effectiveness. You often only listen to what suits your self-image. None of these examples reflect weakness. They are borne of awareness. And only awareness creates the presence that a company really needs in times of crisis. If a CEO takes this path seriously, their leadership changes radically: conversations become cleaner, decisions clearer. Conflicts lose their toxicity. Teams start talking again. Responsibility becomes sustainable. The rituals of self-deception break down. The company will certainly not be conflict-free, but it will become real and deal with conflicts differently. And reality is a clear competitive advantage in 2026.
In the end, holding space is not a soft idea, but a hard leadership achievement. It prevents escalation, increases the ability to learn and can reduce the hidden costs of fear, silence and avoidance. It improves decisions because more reality is put on the table. It protects dignity without abolishing performance and creates clarity where before there was only fog. But yes, it comes at a price: a CEO who wants to hold the space has to face himself in depth, not in a quick weekend seminar. He has to go through his shadows. He does not have to tell his story in public, but he must know it and become aware of his own patterns. They have to be prepared to put on an act and take responsibility without a mask. That is uncomfortable. It costs and demands humility. This is precisely why it is so often avoided – and precisely why it is due now. The time of the mere hard doer is coming to an end. Action remains extremely important, of course, but mere doing has become too dull in complex crises. What is needed is a CEO who can act and hold. Who can decide and listen. Who can lead without being led by their unresolved inner self. Who takes matter seriously, is mentally clear, spiritually anchored and aware enough to understand the impact of their own presence. This is what leadership 2026 really demands of men. No more posturing, no more heroic poses. No new transformation vocabulary behind which everything remains the same. What is required is a CEO with presence, clarity, maturity and truthfulness. A CEO who, in the midst of uncertainty, creates a field in which others can think, speak, feel and act.
Those who can do this will not only lead better through crises in 2026. They will stop being one themselves.
written by Yasmin Floria Kreß – Business Partner of Frank Rechsteiner